


Sulphur + Smoke + Candle

by EWM



Series: Whumptober2020  (MyfirstWhumptober!!) [18]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016), Merlin (TV)
Genre: AU, Angry Jack, Angst, Crossover, Emotional Whump, F/M, Gen, James MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016) Being an Asshole, James MacGyver as Uther, M/M, Mac as Merlin, Poor Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Whumptober, Whumptober 2020, Worried Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:55:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27106069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EWM/pseuds/EWM
Summary: The continuation of my Mac as Merlin adventure! I had so much fun writing this one, let me know what you fine people think? This was written with the Whumptober Day 18 prompt in mind. This can also be found in the full fic (Witchfinder +Blowtorch + Jack)PARANOIA/ PANIC ATTACKS
Relationships: Angus MacGyver & James MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Jack Dalton & Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Whumptober2020  (MyfirstWhumptober!!) [18]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995484
Comments: 6
Kudos: 6





	Sulphur + Smoke + Candle

Mac woke up rolling in his bed with his hands over his eyes, it took him a few moments to realise his body wasn’t burning at all, that he wasn’t surrounded by people and that Murdoc hadn’t shoved a brand into his back. Slowly he moved his fingers away and tentatively opened his eyes, he was in his room, it was a mess or in it’s normal organised chaos as he liked to call it. He swallowed and swung his legs over on the floor, he got up and immediately regretted it, the injuries from his little session with Murdoc were still making themselves felt. He landed back on his bed with a faintly comic “ffphmmp” He took a few deep breaths as he tried to replay back the dream in his head. It was a dream, none of it had happened, but…

And he hated saying this even to himself, it felt so real. Could it have been some kind…of vision? Again a word that he shuddered at, it was a word that at least for him didn’t really have any meaning. His mom had always said to him that kind of stuff was possible, that his mind was so strong, that his power was so strong that it could potentially stretch that far. Was this one of those times? Surely not? Mac decided he had to check it out just to be sure, if nothing else to stop that image of Jack’s broken face spinning around in his brain. He stood up again and padded out, using the back stairs rather than the main halls, he felt foolish enough as it was. He didn’t need the extra strain of coming up with a reason why he wasn’t working and wandering around on the upper levels of the foundation without permission. He made his way up the seemingly endless stairs, pausing every so often to check if anyone was coming. Jack lived on the very top floor of the Phoenix Foundation, higher even that his father. Jack’s rooms were basically three cylinders with three unpleasantly huge windows (at least for Mac’s taste) that looked over Los Angeles. Dalton revelled in the freedom it gave him, it was his space away from his responsibilities, away from the pressure of being the Phoenix heir or so he said as Mac stood determinedly stood in the centre of the room and away from the view.

Mac finally made it up there and opened what was basically the back door into Jack’s bedroom, Dalton was not there. Everything seemed to be in its place, Jack’s huge bed and leather sofa, the endless cd’s piled in one corner and a vast dvd collection and Jack’s desk. The desk was a metal and wood monstrosity, apparently built to work on but in fact the desk and its chair were so uncomfortable, that when Dalton ever bothered to do any paper work he usually did it on the floor, sometimes with Mac sat next to him. Mac went through the room, he opened Dalton’s desk, went through his wardrobe and even looked under his bed (feeling only a little silly). Mac wasn’t even really sure of what he was looking for, he even braved the windowsills, feeling around the edges and keeping his feeling of nausea at bay, but still zip. He finally stood in the centre of the room feeling like an idiot, he had to go through the room again; desk, draws, computer – open the computer, check the main frame (nothing out of the ordinary there), wardrobe, drawers, check corners, check top shelf (still nothing), check bathroom, under sink, round bath, still zip (other than Jack’s smelly shampoo). Finally, the bed, top level (it was a four poster complete with curtains), nothing bottom, under mattress, nothing and then under pillows. He didn't find anything under the pillows, but something caught his eye on that section of the mattress, someone had opened up the mattress up and very carefully sewed it up again with virtually identical stitching, so the shift was barely registrable, but Mac’s eyes saw it. He pulled out his swiss army knife and carefully cut along the line, snorting faintly as he wrecked Dalton’s 300-dollar sheets. Underneath there was a small white bag that smelt faintly, Mac wondered how Jack hadn’t registered it just from the pong.

At this point Mac’s own curiosity, it can be said overcame his good sense. Rather than using something to handle the bag, he just picked it up. The bag was white canvas with elaborate red and black writing, it looked handmade or specially made for purpose, there was no obvious witches mark on it; Mac brought it up to his nose; burned sulphur, lard, soot, mercuric-nitric acid crystals and what was that - mandrake root?. The bag then started to smoke, black whispers came out it, the whisps got bigger and became plumes, then those plumes started to form. Mac moved into the centre of the room and dropped it, the black mass was forming into a creature and it had arms and legs and a kind of face with a sort of tear for its mouth. Mac’s eyes began to glow ready to react; he raised his hands ready to defend himself. But then the creature let out a disgusting belch of yellow smoke and Mac gasped and choked. He fell to his knees and his hands went at his throat, he could smell burning matches, it was mustard gas! Or a modified form of it, burning his lungs, the creature swirled around him, coughing out more and more of the poison. Mac started to cough blood, he crawled towards the bathroom, the creature followed him, gleefully spinning around. Mac’s burning hands climbed into the bath and grabbed the shampoo and one of the candles Jack kept (a gift from an old girlfriend he always claimed), he pushed himself out into a heap on the floor. He kept moving this time towards the sink, there was a tiny panel behind the sink where Dalton kept a cigarette lighter and some cigarettes, he fumbled as he grabbed the lighter, he lit the candle and pushed it towards the creature and sliced open the shampoo with its knife. By this time the creature realised something was up and tried to snake it’s arm around Mac’s hands, but it didn’t manage it, Mac shot the shampoo right onto the candle, the creature started to scream and waver and then it under a minute it was gone.

Mac tossed the bottle a side and lent back against the wall, he wiped the blood from his mouth and coughed a bit more. The raw stench was going, and the gas was going, the creature had taken most of its poison with it. Once he recovered, he went to hunt for Jack in earnest. He headed to the war room, where Jack usually was if he wasn’t out or in his own quarters and he’d been right. Dalton was there at the late hour, looking at a huge map, chairs strewn everywhere and a massive screen in front of him, Mac having ran most of the way, threw up the door

_“Jack I need to talk you, right now.”_

_“Now really isn’t a good time, go back to bed. We can talk in the morning.”_

_“Bed, what? No Jack, now! It’s urgent!”_

Dalton walked over from the table and grabbed Mac’s arm

_“Kid, scram, I can’t talk now, get going! I mean it.”_

Mac refused to budge

_“Jack I’ve got to show you something!”_

Then a voice came out from one of the backs of the chairs that made Mac’s blood freeze

_“What exactly is so urgent, that you have to drag my son away from real work in the middle of the night?”_

Oversight stood up slowly and walked over. Jack shut his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm his rising temper

 _“Nothing…he was just **leaving** ” _ Jack said virtually pushing Mac out into the corridor.

 _“No..no son. Let’s here it, it’s clearly urgent. I’d like an explanation. Well?_ ” Oversight responded waving his son away.

Two things then happened. Mac’s military training kicked in again and he stood straight, arms folded behind his back, virtually ready to salute his bosses’s boss and he at least internally became very aware of his own slovenly appearance. His mass of long blond hair, his crumpled t-shirt (complete with blood stain) and jeans and of course his bare feet.

_“I found something sir, in your son’s rooms. I think something or someone was going to attack your son.”_

_“Really? And you think this thing or unknown person would have managed to get past the guards and the wards of the foundation?”_

_“Yes sir.”_ Mac said determined to hold his ground

_“Well lead the way, I’d like to see this fierce creature.”_

Mac nodded determined to make the best of it. He knew was right and if he could make Oversight see it, then so much the better. So the trio followed by two guards all went up in the lift to Dalton’s rooms (possibly the longest three minutes of Mac’s life). Oversight went into his son’s rooms, pushing in front of Dalton and waited still smiling. Mac gestured towards the bathroom. Oversight entered and snorted then he turned and waited. Mac looked inside, the bag of was now a blackened mass and there was a dead candle and shampoo everywhere, with all the confidence he could muster Mac launched into his explanation of the bag, the creature, the sulphur and the mustard gas and of course how he’d destroyed.

 _“With shampoo? And a candle?”_ Oversight said unable to keep the snigger out of his voice

 _“The smell of sulphur and the gas made me think of the oxidising salts that are found in most shampoo and combined with flame, I thought it would neutralise the creature.”_ Mac responded

Oversight paused and looked at the burned mess on the floor and at Mac and then at his son, then he burst into laughter

_“An impressive science experiment, but nothing more. If something of that power, got into the foundation we’d know and destroy it, without shampoo I might add. Jack, I think your science pet is getting a little paranoid. Maybe you should stop indulging him. And why exactly were you in my son’s rooms?”_

Mac’s mind panicked slightly

 _“III heard…something.”_ He said lamely

Oversight laughed again

_“He’s definitely paranoid. Son I’m going to return to the war room, I suggest you join me.”_

_“Of course sir.”_ Jack said nodding

Oversight left, flanked by his guards and made for the lift. Jack made to follow him, but then shut the door.

_“Mac, what the hell are you doing? You interrupt me and my father for a burnt candle and smell yellow soot? Seriously?”_

_“Jack please I know something was here, it was going to kill you!”_

_“But you killed it with shampoo?” J_ ack echoed his father’s snigger _“Yeah right.”_ Jack instantly regretted his initial reaction as Mac’s face made him feel like he’d just kicked a puppy.

_“Look kid, I have infinite faith in you, I do, but you gotta give me more than smelly yellow soot. It’s not exactly winning and it embarrasses me as well, I…”_

_“Embarrasses you? Since when do you care about that kind of thing?”_

_“Mac, my father…is complicated. I love you kid and I will watch out for you I always will, but my father’s tolerance my ‘eclectic habits and company’ will only go so far. Outbursts like that help no body.”_

_“Jack what are you talking about? I’m trying to help, you’re in serious danger! I’m not screwing around!”_

Something then in a very tired Jack Dalton snapped then

_“Look Mac, for once do as your god damn told, go to bed. I just can’t..”_

Mac tried too respond, but Dalton held up his hand

_“I try to look out for you, I want to keep you safe and this is the thanks I get? Public embarrassment and my father ridiculing you and me by default?”_

_“What? Thanks?? I have to be grateful?? I III .. But II don’t get it, he’s mocking me, not you. He couldn’t mock you, he loves you...I mean.”_

_“You don’t know my dad too well kid then if that’s what you think and be grateful.”_

Mac tried again to respond, but Jack cut him off firmly

 _“Take the back stairs and go back to bed Mac. I can’t right, I just can’t. I’ve had enough of this ”_ Jack said holding up his hands in frustration after that he stormed out.

Then Mac was alone, he couldn’t quite believe it. Jack as a general rule never wrote what he said off and now he’d virtually screamed in his face. Mac left Dalton’s rooms disheartened and upset, he made his way back down to his own tiny quarters and sat on his bed thinking. He knew what he saw and whoever had planted was going to be back when he or she realised it hadn’t worked. Rather than sleep, Mac searched around under his own bed and pulled out a loose floorboard, underneath was heavy dust covered book. Mac dragged it out and blew the dust off it. He sat up in his bed, pulled on the light and began to read.

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I should add in, I'm obviously not a chemist (ha!). But I did look up a few bits to try and make the science language vaguely believable sounding, let me know if it sounds convincing. I also wanted to mimc the language of both shows; MacGyver and Merlin, James MacGyver as Uther Pendragon and Jack's complicated position and heir/Arthur. Let me know what you think?


End file.
